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Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean is the main protagonist of Les Misérables. Novel Jean Valjean was born of a poor peasant family. His parents died when he was very young, leaving him with his older sister to fend for him. Unfortunately, his sister is widowed, having seven children to look after, the eldest being eight and the youngest being one year old. Valjean found work as a tree pruner in Faverolles, the same as his father, earning only a few sous a day. Winter passed. Valjean could not work, and so the family starved. He became a convict, imprisoned for breaking the window pane of Maubert Isabeau, the baker, to steal a loaf of bread to feed his sister's children. He was sent to prison for five years for "burglary at night in an inhabited house". He is paroled from prison 19 years later (after 4 unsuccessful escape attempts added 12 years and fighting back during the second escape attempt added 2 extra years). He entered the galleys in Toulon in 1796 and left in 1815. He encounters the bishop Monsieur Myriel, the bishop of Digne who turns his life around by showing him mercy and encouraging him to become a changed man. While sitting and pondering on what Monsieur Myriel had said, he accidentally puts his foot on a forty-sous piece dropped by a young chimney-sweep named Petit Gervais. Valjean threatens him with his stick when he attempts to rouse Valjean from his reverie and retrieve his piece. He tells a passing priest his name, and the name of the young chimney-sweep, and this allows the police to charge him with armed robbery...a sentence that, if he were caught again, would return him to prison with a death-sentence. Several years later, Valjean fulfills his promise to Monsieur Myriel and becomes a changed man under the alias Monsieur Madaline in the city of Montreuil-sur-Mer. After a few years in the city, he is elected mayor and revolutionises the city's economy, building many factorise and creating many jobs. He became a very famous, influential, popular and charitable man. After unwittingly letting his foreman dismiss a factory worker named Fantine, he accidentally becomes wrapped up in the events that ruined her life, making fall into poverty. After realising the damage he had done, he had the former worker taken from the custody of Javert and sent to a hospital, where he swore to bring her child to her side. Meanwhile, Valjean discovered that Javert, the police inspector who had recently began working under his supervision in the city, had recognised him as Valjean. He was visited by the inspector who's guilt over his accusations (that he was told to be false) made him wish for dismissal. After letting Javert remain at his post, Valjeam set off to find the man who was to go to sentence in his place. After admitting to being the convict, Valjeam returned to Fantines bedside, where he was confronted by Javert. After hearing Javert cry out Madalines identity and the fact that her daughter was not present, Fantine lost her will to live and died of her ilnesss. Valjean surrendered to Javert, but swiftly escaped to rescue Cosette, Fantines daughter. After successfully rescuing Cosette, Valjean was offered shelter in a convent by Fauchelevant, an old man who he had rescued from beneath his cart while he was mayor. After smuggling Valjean in initially, he later had to smuggle him out in a coffin for him to stay officially. Valjean stayed in the convent and Cosette as his own grandaughter. Personality Jean Valjean was an adventurous, brave and selfless man. This is shown frequently throughout the story: He attempts to steal a loaf of bread to save his nephew, he sent Fantine to hospital when it was evident she was dying, he went to save Cosette from the Thenadiers and hid them both from Javert at the heart of Paris, and he also did everything in his capability to keep Marius Pontmercy alive. He was highly intelligent and extremely perceptive: He could see past the Thenadiers' attempts to keep Cosette as a petty servant, and also was able to determine Javert's fear of mercy. Due to his fear of being made a slave again, Valjean suffered from extreme paranoia and desperation. His fear of going back to prison led him to be on the run for the rest of his life. It also made him fear for his own life and those around him, particularly Cosette. However, Valjean made up for this with his enormous capacity for courage, shown in his heroic efforts to rescue Marius from the soldiers when the latter was fatally injured. Due to his twenty years spent as a slave, Valjean was extremely strong and agile. He could carry incredible weight, including fallen masts and carts, with borderline ease and uses his strength to fight off Javert in the hospital. He was also aware of his own strength, as he warns Javert of his physical power, despite the latter refusing to cease attacking. He was a fairly skilled marksman, as he manages to escape the Revolution with his life. His strength also gave him an edge in unarmed combat. Musical Songs Act I *Prologue *At The End Of The Day *Javert's Introduction (2012 film only) *Fantine's Arrest *The Runaway Cart *Javert's Apology (2012 film only) *Who Am I? *Come to Me (Fantine's Death) *The Confrontation *The Well Scene *The Bargain/The Thénardier Waltz of Treachery *Suddenly (2012 film only) *The Convent (2012 film only) *The Robbery/Javert's Intervention *In My Life *The Attack on Rue Plumet *One Day More Act II *Building the Barricade (Upon These Stones) *Night of Anguish *The First Attack *Bring Him Home *The Second Attack (Death of Gavroche) *Dog Eats Dog (The Sewers) *Every Day *Valjean's Confession *Suddenly (reprise) (emotional, but subdued in the film (2012 film only)) *Valjean's Death *Finale List of Portrayers Musical * Maurice Barrier – Original French Concept Album, Original Paris stage cast * Colm Wilkinson – Original London cast, Original Broadway cast, 1995: 10th Anniversary concert * Michael Burgess – Original Canadian cast, 10th Anniversary concert (as one of the 17 Valjeans) * Riles Phan – 1987 Glasgow cast * Øystein Wiik - 1988-1989 Original Norwegian Cast, Berlin and West End, 10th Anniversary concert ( as one of the 17 Valjeans) * Zenon Bester, Krzysztof Stasierowski, Jerzy Jeszke - 1989-2000, Musical Theatre in Gdynia * Matthew Farrer – 1990 Fredicton cast * Robert Marien – 1991 Paris revival, 10th Anniversary concert (as one of the 17 Valjeans) * Sinan Osman – 1997 Florida cast * Jeff Leyton - 1997 Concert in Chelmsford * Takeshi Kaga - Original Japanese Cast, 10th Anniversary concert (as one of the 17 Valjeans), 1994 Japanese Red Cast and 1987-2001 Japanese Tour * Sagae Takita - Original Japanese Cast and 1994 Japanese Blue Cast and 1987-2001 Japanese Tour * Eugène Évariste Favager – 1998 Québec cast * John Pascall – 1998 Dover tour * Ray Mangion - 2001 Malta tour * Carlos Vittori - 2002 Commissioning Mexican scene * J. Mark McVey - 2002 West End production * Kiyotaka Imai - 2003 Japanese Violet Cast and 2003-2009 and 2011 Japanese tour * Kazutaka Ishii - 2003 Japanese Light Blue Cast and 2003-2006 Japanese tour * Tetsuya Bessho - 2003 Japanese Green Cast and 2003-2011 Japanese tour * Yuichiro Yamaguchi - 2003 Japanese Orange Cast and 1997-2011 Japanese tour * Alexander Gemignani – 2006 Broadway revival * John Owen-Jones – 2006-2008: Broadway revival * Satoshi Hashimoto - 2007-2009 Japanese Tour * Peter Avsenick, Jason Widdrington – 2008 Vancouver youth production * Theo Nanos – 2009 St. John's cast * Petr Gazdík, Jan Ježek - 2009 Czech Brno production * Gerónimo Rauch – 2010-2011 (Madrid). 2011-2012 (Barcelona) * Ramin Karimloo – 2011-2012: The Queen's Theater, 2013 Toronto cast, 2013/14 Toronto tour, 2014 Broadway revival * Alfie Boe – 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 * Mitsuo Yoshihara - 2011-2015 Japanese tour and 2013 Japanese 25th Anniversary tour * Shoichi Fukui - 2013 Japanese 25th Anniversary tour and 2015 Japanese Tour * Kim Hyun Joon (His name can be very hard to find in english) - 2013 Japanese 25th Anniversary tour * Gerónimo Rauch – 2012-2013: West End production. * Daniel Koek - 2012-2014: West End Production * Nicolás Martinelli – 2013-2014 Spain Tour * Cameron Neal - School Edition at the Elgiva theatre * Janusz Kruciński - 2010-2012 Roma Theatre in Warsaw * RGS High Wycombe 2013 School Edition - Jonah Halton * Damian Aleksander - 2010-2012 Roma Theatre in Warsaw * Peter Lockyer - 2012/13 Toronto/25th Anniversary USA tour, 2014-2015 West End Production (Current) * Jonathan Williams - 2014-2015 West End Production * Yang Joon Mo - 2015 Japanese Tour * Aaron Neale – Lawrence Park CI's 2014 school edition * Simon Gleeson - 2014 Melbourne Production Movies * Maurice Costello – 1909 film * Henry Krauss – 1913 films * William Farnum – 1917 film * Gabriel Gabrio – 1925 film * Harry Baur – 1934 films * Fredric March – 1935 film * Gino Cervi – 1948 film * Michael Rennie – 1952 film * Jean Gabin – 1958 film * Gastone Moschin – 1964 mini-series * Frank Finlay – 1967 mini-series * Georges Géret – 1972 mini-series * Sergio Bustamante – 1973 series * Richard Jordan – 1978 film * Lino Ventura – 1982 film/1985 mini-series * Liam Neeson – 1998 film * Gérard Depardieu – 2000 mini-series * Masashi Sugawara - Shōjo Cosette anime 2007 * Hugh Jackman – 2012 film External Links * Jean Valjean's Wikipedia page Gallery 2012 Film Valjean article story main.jpg Jeanvaljean.jpg JV2.jpg who_am_I?.jpeg Fantine:valjean.jpeg Suddenly.png The Well Scene.png Who Am I.png Runawaycart.png les-mis-hugh-jackman-2.jpg tumblr_mj38ltbuNk1s6252io11_1280.jpg tumblr_mj3fnikZJE1s6252io1_1280.jpg tumblr_mtszykQTYS1sdjsjxo1_500.jpg 404577021_640.jpg tumblr_inline_muxu92scH71rm09gb.jpg tumblr_mvgkisLtrS1sdjsjxo1_500.jpg|Jean Valjean holding Cosette tumblr_mwrwo7lAP41sdjsjxo1_500.jpg tumblr_mwvdetWN8I1sdjsjxo2_500.jpg tumblr_muaox1MV0r1sdjsjxo2_500.jpg tumblr_mwm44xObpl1sdjsjxo2_500.jpg tumblr_msu531RTS71sdjsjxo1_500.jpg tumblr_mr496tZKN41sdjsjxo1_500.jpg Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean.jpg Les+Miserables+movie+2012+prisoner+jean+valjean+and+guard+javert+.jpeg tumblr_n0e1ccwl4O1rx54tto1_500.jpg tumblr_mzrrcuyamZ1r1rmzqo8_1280.png tumblr_mzrrcuyamZ1r1rmzqo7_1280.png tumblr_mzrrcuyamZ1r1rmzqo6_1280.png tumblr_n33djzxKwy1ro4cnfo1_500.jpg 7KMmCx.png article-2360413-1AC87266000005DC-491_634x480.jpg 3nfDW6.png 2rlEz7.png lesmis_4_betterhugh.jpg jeanvaljeanandfantine.jpg les-mis-les-miserables-2012-movie-34164880-937-630.png les-miserables-jean-valjean.jpg 1359474312829224.jpg Musical Queensbringhimhome.JPG tumblr_mxgto7pGzu1s9d4vlo1_500.jpg imagescosval.jpg tumblr_mz4xycswxG1rnqzobo1_500.jpg januszkrucinskiasjeanvaljean.jpg tumblr_n6yluede2z1r8sh19o1_1280.jpg les-mis-10.2.jpg 1998 Film Les-Miserables-Jean-Valjean-1.jpg MV5BMTk2MTY4MDU0NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwODczNDQ3._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg 1358663614_2.png 512Les.Miserables.1998.BR.jpg vlcsnap-2013-01-03-10h24m59s110.JPG adcc3e8efb070009f4cfa2008d8.jpg 009.jpg imiserabili1.jpg liam-neeson-in-movie-les-miserables-1998.jpg les-miz-02_thumb.jpg Les-Miserables-Jean-Valjean-0.jpg vlcsnap2012091216h42m07.png miserables-1998-09-g.jpg TsopIGFfOL.png MV5BMTM2MzA0NzMzOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNjgzNDQ3._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg Category:Characters Category:Characters in the musical Category:Anime Characters Category:Characters who passed away Category:Jean Valjean